This invention relates generally to an inspection apparatus and more particularly to a battery assembly and power management for an industrial inspection hansdset.
Industrial inspection apparatuses, such as endoscopes or borescopes, can include a handset tethered to a base unit by a cable or other connecting means. In this configuration, while it is the handset that actually conducts the inspection activities, it is the base unit that contains a significant amount of the hardware and processing capacity required by the industrial inspection apparatus. For example, the base unit could include the power supply and light sources required by the handset to conduct an inspection. A disadvantage of having the base unit supporting the operations of the handset is the limitation on the flexibility and portability of the person conducting the inspection with the handset, which must always remain tethered to the base unit, which, in turn, is often required to be connected to a source of electrical power.
A potential solution to the disadvantages of requiring a base unit is to relocate some or all of the hardware and processing capacity required by the industrial inspection apparatus from the base unit to the handset, thereby eliminating the need for a tethered connection between the two devices. For example, rather than having the power supply and light sources in the base unit, these devices can be provided in the handset. However, in order to maintain the portability of the handset, this power supply must take the form of a battery assembly that provides sufficient battery life for conducting an inspection without having to frequently recharge or replace the battery assembly. It would be advantageous to provide a handset having a battery assembly and power management to provide sufficient battery life for conducting an inspection.